Shelby Burnam earned a bachelors degree in anthropology and religion from the University of Georgia in 2014. She spent time volunteering with immigration advocacy programs in Athens, Clarkston, and Atlanta, Georgia before beginning law school. In 2023, Shelby received her Juris Doctor degree from Georgia State University College of Law. 

While in law school, she served on the executive board for the GSU Immigration Law Society and was a Justice Initiative fellow. She also interned with Asian Americans Advancing Justice’s impact litigation team and the GSU Immigration Clinic. Through these roles, Shelby was able to effectively advocate for the immigrant community.

Shelby has experience in the following immigration areas: family based petitions, removal defense,  humanitarian relief such as U-Visas, Asylum, and VAWA petitions, and has attended USCIS interviews in multiple states. Shelby has been admitted to practice law before the Supreme Court of Georgia and is an active member of the State Bar of Georgia and of the Georgia/Alabama chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association as well as the National Lawyers Guild.